The mountain wind howled through the trees like a wounded animal.
Axel stood in the snow, his weapon still smoking, his chest heaving. The firefight at the Obsidian Vault had been brutal, but they had escaped. Elias Vance had slipped away again, disappearing into the labyrinth of tunnels beneath the facility. But they had gained something valuable—Hawk's loyalty.
"We need to move," Troy said, his voice strained. "They'll be coming for us."
"Where do we go?" Nyla asked. "Everywhere we run, they find us."
"I know a place," Hawk said, stepping forward. "A safehouse in the mountains. It's off the grid. No one knows about it."
Axel looked at him, his expression unreadable. "Why should we trust you?"
Hawk's eyes met his. "Because I killed your brother."
The words hit Axel like a physical
